Hi all. I'm going on holiday for four months and was wondering can I leave my f pace idle the whole time? Or should I get my mum to start it and run it once a week ( she's not comfortable taking it for a drive). Any replies much appreciated

Will the car be parked inside or outside? If inside then I would suggest you connect a battery charger/conditioner to it for the duration as I suspect he battery will go flat over that period. I use a CTEK MXS 5.0 for my cars. You may still be able to do this if the car is outside depending where it is parked and availability of power sockets.

I have my f pace under a car cover to protect it from the weather an when it is a nice day I take it for a drive just to get the wheels moving bring it home give it a clean and put it back under cover I have sat my f pace for 4 weeks without a problem before

my advice would be have a look at some professional car storage facilitys espesially windrush car storage these guys are excellent

The obvious things are 1. brim the tank, especially if petrol, fumes are more dangerous than liquid; 2. Raise the car if possible, to avoid the weight at a single point of the tyre. Being off the ground removes any problems if pressure is lost. 3. SORN the car and get a refund on the VED for the extended period its not used. 4. Don't leave the handbrake on. 5. I would remove the battery completely from the vehicle. This saves the hassle of keeping the vehicle on trickle charge etc, plus makes it more difficult to steal.

Hi Spurslad, The best thing is to have (convince0 your mother to start it up and take it for a long enough drive to get he engine up to operating temperature. Cars do not like to be ide as tyres develop hot spots, discs corrode, batteries run flat etc etc. Best life for a car is to be driven regularly!

Holiday . . 4 months! . . . . . . not sure I can even get my poor overworked head around that as a concept!
. . . well, have a nice time and send us a postcard!

As for the car, it won't do it much good if it's stood for that length of time. At least start the engine and move it a little bit so the tyres don't sit on one spot for too long otherwise they'll likely deform. A little 'tab' of masking tape placed on each wheel rim at the six o'clock position enables you to see that you've rotated the wheels sufficiently when you park back up. Get a trickle charge conditioner for the battery through the coldest months to keep it's charge topped up, which is far better for it than leaving it to lose all it's charge - a fully depleted battery will never hold it's recharge, it'll just die on you. Brakes may seize and disks may corrode if the car is left outside for that length of time without being driven.

. . been enjoying since July '16, 2.0d R-Sport, Ammonite + Black Pack, Jet/Red interior and a few useful options